Tragedy in Asia

[violette829]

I lived in Granada Hills during the Northridge quake..and OMG! I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

[Thai-Samurai]

all over what?

I meant that because no matter what the thread is about you always have something good to say, and evenmoreso in this one since you actually had 2 different relatives over there in Asia. What a coincidence.

[ArmoBarbi]

They just said on the news that the death toll is now over 38k! 25k in Indonesia alone. Major population control.

[Anonymouse]

To quote Butler Shaffer:

"As the numbers of confirmed dead from the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami continue to rise, it is encouraging to hear genuine humanitarian sentiments being expressed by so many Americans, including the media. Cable news channels give us hourly reports: 10,000 killed, then 12,000, and now approaching 24,000 and counting. One would almost believe there was substance to the Republican Party and media explanations of the recent election as a mandate for "moral values." But a moment's reflection reveals moral confusion, instead. That so many Americans can be truly touched by the deaths of some 24,000 southeast Asians from a natural disaster reflects a cheerier side of our humanity. But, at the same time, most Americans - and the political establishment's lapdog media - are woefully silent about the number of Iraqis killed (and maimed) not by natural forces, but by intentional, duplicitous acts of moral depravity cheered on by so many who now lament the tectonic casualties. It took a British medical journal, "The Lancet," to provide a plausible estimate of 100,000 Iraqis killed, thus far, by the machinations of morally corrupt men and women who enjoy the power to kill without having to offer explanations. The death toll from both the earthquake and the war will continue to escalate, but don't expect to see the numbers from Iraq scroll across the bottom of your television screen!"

[Hayq]

The tidle wave has hit Kenya and Somalia as well, many fishermen have disapeared.

If you look at the numbers of people dead (24k!) you can just imagine the amount of people in these places. People in these nations are packed together and on coastlines. Evacuating India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia is not an easy task. These nations are relatively poor and do not really have the proper resources to evacuate the entire populations on their coast (millions of people) in the time that it takes a tidal wave to reach the mainland. It happened like what, 40 miles off the coast? minutes to evacuate millions. Not an easy task.

It is just something these people have learned to live with, especially Indians, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankans...droughts and floods have plagued these areas for centuries.

[ArmoBarbi]

Exactly, I am having a difficult time believing that they really could not evacuate in time. I can understand not wanting to cause panic, but they would have been clever about it.

The Pacific Tsunami Center issued warnings within the first 15 minutes! They didnt evacuate because their own people were not able to "confirm". What the heck is the collective agency for if we are going to ignore them anyway?? Last time I checked, it was "better safe than sorry".

Arman, good quote. I did not realize the death toll had been that high. I do, as most of us, hate the fact that even one Iraqi had to die because of Bush, but we cannot really talk about how sad we are over something our own county is doing the same way we can with a natural disaster. Unwritten rules of politics. You know that.

[Genuine_Stud]

This was truly a big tragedy.

I felt horrible about this when I heard it on the news today.

CNN reported that there is about 1.5 million that are left homeless because of this.

I sure do hope everything turns out ok over the course of the next few months.

[fIReBuRntInHeLL]

All i have to say is that THANK GOD- i am not ASIAN.

[fIReBuRntInHeLL]

You are racist.

OOh thank you
Did u mention a BIG TIME racist!

[fIReBuRntInHeLL]

Don't make me call the ADL.

ADL=Armenian Dental Lab